Early 20th century theories
"Expansion of the Pre-Teutonic Nordics" — Map from The
Passing of the Great Race by Madison Grant showing early hypothesized migrations of Nordic peoples.
See also: Nordicism
By 1902 the German archaeologist Gustaf Kossinna identified the original Aryans (Proto-Indo-
Europeans) with the north German Corded Ware culture, an argument that gained in currency over the
following two decades. He placed the Indo-European Urheimat in Schleswig-Holstein, arguing that they
had expanded across Europe from there. By the early 20th century this theory was well-established,
though far from universally accepted.[ citation needed ] Sociologists were soon using the concept of a
"blond race" to model the migrations of the supposedly more entrepreneurial and innovative
components of European populations.
By the early 20th century, Ripley's tripartite Nordic/Alpine/Mediterranean model was well established.
Most 19th century race-theorists like Arthur de Gobineau, Otto Ammon, Georges Vacher de
Lapouge and Houston Stewart Chamberlain preferred to speak of "Aryans", "Teutons", and "Indo-
Europeans" instead of a "Nordic race". The British-born German racialist Houston Stewart
Chamberlain considered the Nordic race to be made up of Celtic and Germanic peoples, as well as
some Slavs. Chamberlain called those people Celt-Germanic peoples , and his ideas would influence the
ideology of Nordicism and Nazism.
"Expansion of the Teutonic Nordics and Slavic Alpines" — Map
from Passing of the Great Race by Madison Grant showing the expansion of the Nordics and Alpines in
Europe from the 1st century BC to the 11th century AD.
Madison Grant, in his 1916 book The Passing of the Great Race , took up Ripley's classification. He
described a "Nordic" or "Baltic" type:
"long skulled, very tall, fair skinned, with blond, brown or red hair and light coloured eyes. The Nordics
inhabit the countries around the North and Baltic Seas and include not only the great Scandinavian and